Tree-sprayer.



I. WILCOX.

TREE SPRAYER.

APPLICATION FILED lum: x6. |913.

Fig? 5.

Jay

'IE NQRRIS PETERb .u.. FHoTo-LITHOA. WASHINGTON. D. C.

JAY WILCOX, OF ROTHBURY, MTCHIGAN.

TREE-SPRAYER.

Jl,ll35,3dll.

Specification or" 'Letters Patent.

Patented Apr.. 13, MM5.

.application filed June 16, 1913. Serial No. 774,068.

To all @from t may concern lle it known that l, JAY VVILCOX, a citizenof the United States, residing at Rothbury, in the county of Oceana andState of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inTree-Sprayers, of which the following is a specification.

lVly invention relates to improvements in governing appliances for fruittree sprayers, and its objects are: first, to provide a means wherebythe pressure in the spraying tank will be automatically kept at auniform degree, and, second, to provide a means whereby the supply ofspraying` material to the spraying tank will be automatically helduniform thus producing a steady, unvarying spray upon the trees. lattain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the aecompanyingdrawing, in which- Figure l is an elevation of the spraying machinecomplete but showing the actuating slide in section on the line e e ofFig. 5. Figs. 2 and 3 are sectional elevations of the spraying tanksshowing, respectively, a diaphragm and a cylinder and piston appliancesfor operating the governing elements of my sprayer, Fig. l is anenlarged sectional elevation of ahollow spring, as shown in Fig. 1, foractuating the governing elements of the sprayer, and Fig. 'is a top planof the slide.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

ln Fig. l A represents the supply tank from which the spraying materialis pumped through the pipes a, m and Z into the pumps C, and thencethrough the pipe c to the three way valve D. From the valve D thematerial is forced, normally, through the pipe b into the spraying, orcompression tank B. This tank is normally filled with air only, but whenthe spraying material is forced into it, say to about the depthindicated by the dotted lines near the bottom of the tanks, the airbecomes compressed suiliciently to exercise a considerable pressure uponthe surface of the spraying material so as to cause it to flow withconsiderable force through the discharge tube 7c to and through anydesired form of sprayer for thepurpose of reducing the material to thelinest possible spray and forcing it to the greatest possible, availabledistance into the trees being sprayed.

E represents the main driving shaft by means of which power and motionare transmitted to the pumps C, through the agency of the crank F, theconnecting rod e that connects the crank F with the pump lever l, thesaid pump lever being pivotally supported at so that its verticalreciprocating movements, transmitted from the crank F, will give to theconnecting rods z' and piston rods y' a like reciprocating motion, thusgiving to the pump pistons, not shown, alternate vertical movement, inthe form of pump When the pressure is low in the tank or compressionchamber B the hook K will be held practically in the position indicatedby its solid lines in Fig. l. There are two independent appliancesprovided for actuating this hook, as follows: First, the slide L havingattached to it the hook J (as at 5) which stands, normally, in positionto engage the hook K when the hook J is'drawn downward. This is broughtabout by the action of the slide L, which is made to reciprocatevertically by means of the eccentric G on the main shaft, through themedium of the connecting rod g which is secured at the lower end to theeccentric, and is pivotally connected at the upper end to the slide L asat 4. The upper end of the slide L is formed practically as indicated inFig. 5, in which 3 indicates an opening down into the slide into whichvthe hook K may pass when the slide is raised to the position indicatedby the dotted lines a and it and may be drawn downward by the hook Jwhen the slide L is drawn downward and carry the valve lever M down tothe position indicated by the dotted lines s, thus opening the valve tothe pipe b and forcing the contents of the pump into and through thepipe o to the compression chamber B until the pressure in this chamberhas raised sufliciently to actuate the hollow spring H to carry it tothe position indicated by its dotted lines, the connecting rod h willdraw the hook l back from under the hook d so that when the slide Lrises to the position indicated by the dotted lines u, the lower end ofthe hook K will be in position to be acted upon by the solid portion, 2,of the slide and the slide will force it upward and carry the lever M tothe position indicated at r and open the valve to the pipe d when allmaterial passing through the pumps will be discharged back into thestorage tank A until the pressure in the tank B has reduced sufficientlyto allow the spring Il to assume its normal position when the hook Kwill be again engaged by the hook J and be drawn down to position toagain open the valve D to the pipe b. It will be readily seen that bythis means a constant and steady pressure may be sustained in the tank Band thus a uniform spray is insured.

rlhus 'far I have indicated the use, only, of a hollow spring Il, suchas is used in steam gages, for actuating the latch K to control thepressurein, and the flow to the tank B, but the same results may beobtained by the use of a diaphragm, as indicated at R in Fig. 2, inwhich case a bell crank, N, actuated by the action ot the rod @,passingthrough the case o, is raised and lowered by the movement of thediaphragm R as the pressure in the tank varies to raise and lower thisdiaphragm, the rod O acting on the arm n of the bell crank, asindicated. 'Ihe saine result may, also, be obtained by the use of acylinder having a piston P and actuating spring p, with the pistonconnections arranged to act upon the arm a as indicated, or any otheravailable means may be employed as desired without departing from thespirit oi my invention.

I prefer that the hook II be provided with a slot, as w, for thereception of the pin /L at the end of the rod 71, so that the hook K maybe raised by the slide L, when said slide is raised to the positionindicated by the dotted lines fita and the hook is in position to beforced upward by the slide L as hereinbefore described; or may belowered by the hook J when the slide has been lowered to the positionindicated by the dotted lines zr-g/ and the hook K is in position to beacted upon by the hook J, without carrying the end 7i of the rod 7Lupward and downward with it, it being understood that this end of therod it is supported by some available i means so that while it may notbe moved upward and downward it will readily slide longitudinally as itis actuated by the spring II or other available means as hereinbelforementioned.

. Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure Vby Letters latent of theUnited States, is:

k1. In combination with the storage tank, compression tank, pumps andconnecting pipes of a power spraying machine, a threeway valve, a pipefrom the pump to the three-way valve, a pipe from the three-way valve tothe compression tank, and a pipe from the three-way valve to the supplytank,

a hook connected with the three-way valve, a vertically reciprocatingslide having a hook to engage the hook on the three-way valve to openand close the valve, and means for causing the hooks to engage anddisengage to actuate the three way valve and to hold the pressureconstant in the compression chamber.

2. In combination with a supply tank, compression tank, force pump andsupply pipes of a spraying machine, a three-way valve in the line of thesupply pipe, an overflow pipe from the valve, an actuating hookconnected with the valve, a vertically reciprocating slide in positionto engage and actuate said hook, means connected with the compressiontank and with the actuating hook to engage and disengage said hooks andhold the pressure constant in the compression chamber.

3. In combination with the storage tank, compression tank, force pumpand connecting pipes of a power sprinkling machine, a three-way valve inthe line of the supply pipe, an overflow pipe from said valve to thesupply tank, an actuating arm on the valve, an actuating hook on saidarm, a vertically reciprocating slide arranged to actuate the actuatinghook, said slide having an opening in the top into which the actuatinghook may pass when actuated by thc slide on its downward stroke, a solidsurface on the slide adjacent to said opening to engage the actuatinghook upon the upward stroke of the slide, and means connected with thecompression tank and actuated by the pressure in the said tank to swingthe actuating hook to position to pass into the opening in the slide orbe engaged by the solid portion of the slide according to the degree ofpressure in the compression tank.

4. In combination with the storage tank, compression tank, pumps, andconnecting pipes of a spraying machine, a three-i'ay valve in the lineof the supply pipe, an overlow pipe connected with the supply pipe, avertically reciprocating slide having a hook thereon, an arm on thevalve, an actuating hook pivotally secured to said arm, a hollow springconnected with the compression tank in a manner to be actuated by thepressure from the tank passing into it, a connecting rod from the springto the actuating hook so connected as to cause the actuating hook toengage with, or disengage from the sliding hook to hold the pressure inthe compression chamber constant.

Signed at Grand Rapids Michigan J une 9 1913.

JAY VVILCOX.

In presence of I. J. CILLEY, JOHN W. HILDING.

C'opies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. 0'.

